Posted By Donald Lappe On Oct 21 2010 @ 12:56 am In Army | No Comments

As the Army football team spends its bye week preparing for VMI and the last five games of the season, it is a good opportunity to assess what lies ahead.

Army can compete with every team remaining on the schedule. They have competed with every team they have faced so far, and should continue to do so. The offense has been consistently productive, and the defense’s ability to create negative plays has helped them keep opposing offenses in check.

Next week’s matchup with VMI should give Army a good opportunity to bounce back from a tough loss against Rutgers. I would not be surprised if the Army coaches used the bye week to install some wrinkles for later in the season, possibly testing them out at game speed against the Keydets.

A quick look at what remains for Army:

VMI: (2-4) The Keydets have been outclassed by many of the FCS teams they have faced this year. A great opportunity for Army to get back on track and get within one win of bowl eligibility. A sure win.

Air Force: (5-2) Air Force has been very good this year, and will be facing TCU this week after a disappointing loss against San Diego State. This is Army’s toughest remaining test. The defense will need to keep tabs on Tim Jefferson. A toss-up game.

Kent State: (2-4) Kent State has not done very well this season, one of its two wins coming against Murray State. The Golden Flashes have been beaten soundly in most of their losses. This should be another win for Army, barring a letdown.

Notre Dame: (4-3) I think Army matches up very well with the Fighting Irish. The offense can pick up yards against the Notre Dame defense and a weak offensive line presents Josh McNary and the defense with a great opportunity to get after Dayne Crist. It will be interesting to see how Notre Dame does against Navy this week, though it has been a down year for Navy.

Navy: (4-2) Navy has not been as good as they have been in past years, but this is always a tough game. The Midshipmen will give Army a fight, but Army is better than Navy for the first time in a long while. Army finally snaps Navy’s streak of dominance.

Look for Army to finish 4-1 or 5-0, possibly dropping the game to Air Force. I still stand by my preseason prediction of an Army win over Notre Dame.